On Tuesday, the people of Delhi woke up to thick fog and bitter cold temperatures that also affected aircraft and rail operations. As a result, hundreds of travelers were forced to wait for hours at airports and train stations. The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in Delhi saw about 30 flights delayed and 17 cancelled due to low visibility in dense fog, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). News agency ANI reported citing airport officials, citing the city's Palam (VIDP) and Safdarjung Airports, which recorded visibilities within 500 meters in the morning.
According to the weather service, there is a fog patch across the northern and northeastern states, and the airports in these regions have reported low visibility conditions. At 05:30 IST, a layer of fog is visible from Punjab to northeastern India, passing through Haryana, North MP, UP, Bihar, and West Bengal. The IMD stated in a post on X that "the patches of fog are also seen along the east coast of India as shown in the attached Satellite Imagery."
"In dense to very dense fog conditions, airport visibility data shows the following visibilities: Varanasi 00m; Agra 00m; Gwalior 00m; Jammu 00m; Pathankot 00m; Chandigarh 00m; Gaya 20m; Prayagraj 50m; Tejpur 50m; Agartala 100m; Vijaywada 100m; Bagdogra 100m," it continued. Due to bad weather on Monday, the Delhi airport saw five planes diverted and nearly 100 flights delayed. Around 30 trains, including the Howrah-Delhi Rajdhani Express and the Rani Kamalapati-Hazrat Nizamuddin Vande Bharat, were running behind schedule at the New Delhi Railway Station, leaving a number of people stranded. The delays were caused by a coldwave and thick fog that enveloped the nation's capital.
While it dropped to a season-low of 3.3°C on Monday, the minimum temperature was recorded at 3.5°C on Tuesday. The IMD issued an orange advisory for Tuesday and Wednesday over Delhi, thus it is expected that the following three days will be characterized by chilly waves and fog. On Monday, the capital city recorded a maximum temperature of 19.7°C. IMD scientist Kuldeep Srivastava stated that no major meteorological changes are anticipated over the next 48 hours, with the minimum likely to stay in a similar range.
